It's been too long since I went hiking, even if it was just a quick two hour return to Mount Cordeaux Lookout. Easy to forget what it's like to be in the rainforest on the side of a mountain. Fresh aired bliss at 7ºC.

My sister and I drove out to Cunningham's Gap to climb Mount Cordeaux at sunrise. The weather report wasn't great, and it turned out worse, but still ended up being a beautiful view, despite being rained on as we made it to the bottom!

As I get older, it's becoming more and more of a joy to meet people who embrace the early hours of the morning, whether it's meeting for breakfast at 8am on a Sunday, or heading out onto the road to climb a mountain at sunrise.

The "morning person" persuasion seems to invoke a sense of adventure and enthusiasm for spontaneity in life, starting with an early rise into the world. These people seem to have an intangible thirst to get up and do things.

This has become an all too important aspect of life in the last few years as I discover what I'm truly passionate about doing each and every day.

South East Queensland from Mount Greville (facing generally south)

I work four days a week in an office, and while I enjoy the work, I cherish each weekend that I can get outside in the sun. Hiking and climbing the mountains in South East Queensland has become a huge part of that, and I want to extend that to overseas.

So I created a Facebook group exactly for the purpose of pushing this lifestyle of weekend adventures, incorporating fitness and photography into the hiking.

If you are an enthusiastic hiker or photographer who loves sunrise mountain climbs, photography and/or fitness based hiking in the South East Queensland area, don't hesitate to join my Facebook group to see photos, discuss hikes and join events.

This weekend seems to have been about climbing mountains. I bought some new hiking shoes yesterday and on a whim decided to drive out to Cunningham's Gap again and hike up Mount Mitchell on the south side of the highway.

This morning I left home at 4am with the intent of climbing Mount Cordeaux to the main lookout, about 1,100 metres above sea level. To my surprise I met another photographer named Fred McKie, who does anything from commercial photography to architecture, lifestyle and landscapes.

We both ended up walking the extra 30 minutes to Bare Rock north along the ridge from Mount Cordeaux lookout.